Thursday, March 21, 2013

First Spring project for the season is done...actually two have been completed! For the past 7 years, as long as we have lived in this house, our front door has been red. I LOVE red! The color pops, and it makes giving directions to our home quite easy. We used to be the only house on the street with a red door. But, sun and time fade the lovely red to a dull something or other! Here are the "before" pictures.

Yes, it has been extremely sunny during my painting and picture taking time! The other week, I put some pics on Face Book with some paint swatches. Blue and green to be exact. I played with them and took them with me and asked advice of many wonderful friends who happen to be great decorators. Finally, I asked my sister. My sister truly could work for Southern Living. She has "the eye" for color, furniture and picture positioning, etc. You get the point! I did not receive those genes in my family lineage. Period. But, I love me some Pinterest and BHG magazine!

Baby sister suggested "black." Simply "black". How boring!! She said it makes for a clean slate, and I could add pops of color in my wreathes and flowers that had to be coordinated with the red color for years would suddenly change to any flowers I wanted to use. Guess she has a point. So, I headed down to my local Sherwin Williams and got a quart of black satin paint. Then, the fun began--not really! But, it had to be done.

Coat number one barely covered the red....mercy! It took three heavy coats, but, I think I will get used to it. Nothing like having a "clean slate!"

Yes, I know we need to replace our doorknob and handle. I am sure that they used to be a lovely brass. No more! That might be a fall project.

Ok, then once the paint had dried, the real fun began: popping color on a plain black door. A few weeks ago, I saw a cute burlap cross that I LOVED. You can see it here.

So I gathered my materials for what I thought would be an easy peasy project and take just a few minutes. Have mercy!!! Y'all, it was hard! Creating your own pattern, and cutting on burlap is not fun at all. I am pleased with the final outcome, but I will never attempt this again. Pinky promise!

So, if you are interested in some really cute door hangings and don't want to attempt it yourself, PLEASE go to Fran's link that I have above. Fran is a dear friend from Tennessee. She and two of her darling friends are raising money to go on a mission trip. They have a ton of cute items that they will ship to you. Just tell them that Runner Mom sent you!

Monday, March 18, 2013

This weekend, we celebrated hubby's BIG birthday...the one where you start receiving AARP letters welcoming you into their computer system! He had decided a while back that his BIG day would be just family...the four of us doing something fun. Well, that FUN turned out to be a HUMONGOUS zip line nestled in the Smokey Mountains. Mercy! Y'all, I do NOT do heights at all! I simply have this feeling of getting to close to the edge of a mountain corner and leaning forward just a tad to0 far and oopsi! I am toast!

This adventure turned out to be quite better than toast! It was actually a blast! Hubby's parents have retired in a small community in Eastern Tenn., and we have driven past this zip line and whitewater rafting place for eons it seems! We finally checked it out on Saturday. What an amazing time we had! I truly encourage y'all to find them on the web and make a reservation as you go toodling (is that a real word or a Susanism??) through the NC mountains into Tenn. As soon as you cross the NC/TN state line, it's the very first exit. There are signs galore! If I weren't so lazy, I would try to find the name of it, but....not this morning! Sorry!

The trip is SUPPOSED to take 3.5 hours to traverse all 12 zip lines. People, we did it in WAAAYYYY under that time frame. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we were the ONLY folks in line for that entire day to do this (Yes, our family had the honor of being the first folks for the 2013 season to zip!). The two guides were great and very knowledgeable ( I felt better as a mama letting my children ride over the Pigeon River!). We had short zip lines, long zip lines and double zip lines. We climbed steps to get to zip lines and were bounced around on bridges above the river. Just lots of fun! (Lots of prayers were lifted for trust and peace too!)

So, that being said, here are a few pics to share with y'all from our adventure. Let me know if you have any questions! I am now an expert at zip lining ( in my own little mind, that is!). Really, it is a great family adventure!

PS--The title of this post is simply part of a Zac Brown song that hubby sang over and over this weekend, and since it was all about his birthday, I titled it that way! Now, you know!

Sweet blessings,
Susan

There are three large clips that are attached to the line at all times! Gloves are a must, and there is a brake pad on my right glove. I felt pretty safe! And the ride was a blast!

We did it! This might turn out to be our Christmas card picture this year!!
Happy birthday, Hubby! We love you!

I'm a wife to an amazing man, and a mom to two wild and crazy boys! I strive to chase hard after Jesus and share what He has shown me with others. I love running, photography, and crafting. I'm just me!